Christmas ornaments have heretofore been made of a hollow ornament body, typically formed of glass or plastic in a spheroidal shape, which is adapted for hanging from a Christmas tree or other Christmas display. The ornament body is silvered and lacquered in a machine, commonly referred to as an "S&L machine", which coats the inner surface of the hollow body with silver, and coats the outer surface of the hollow body with a coating layer of desired color and other characteristics.
The inner silver coating layer reflects external light to provide a bright, mirrored ornament. The outer coating layer may be a clear coating layer to provide a reflecting silver ornament. Alternatively, the outer coating layer may be a relatively transparent, glossy finish paint to provide a colored effect. The outer layer may also be a relatively opaque matte finished layer to provide a more subdued effect.
It is often desirable to place an ornamental indicia, such as a Christmas scene or a Christmas greeting, on the Christmas ornament. This has typically been done by painting the requisite indicia on the outside of the ornament or by blasting a pattern in the outer coating layer of the ornament.
Unfortunately, these techniques for forming indicia on the Christmas ornament do not present an entirely satisfactory appearance. When the indicia is painted on the outside of the ornament, it adds another coating layer to the ornament, so that the indicia is dark and drab. Alternatively, when the outer coating layer is blasted or removed to create the indicia, the inner silver coating layer is still present and causes the indica to be dark. In either case, the appearance of the ornament is not entirely satisfactory.